Allies: A TF-666 Story
by TheGuardianWithin
Summary: The world seems at peace. With the Pure Ones in shambles, the Task Force celebrates with two weddings of two couples. But days later, a ominous attack on a station stationed out near a allied planet threatens war, the Task Force with the Guardians must make new allies and meet with others to defeat an army much worse than the Pure Ones. A story of celebration, war, and sacrifice.
1. A Most Uneventful Evening

Dragon Relms

April 15, 2021

Warfang

Chapter 1

A Most Uneventful Evening

My POV

I stood in front of the mirror in my room. A military dress suit in black and red covered me. Bars and stars stood over my left breast with a patch with a dagger and owl feathers on my right sleeve, with the letters "Lux E Tenebris" embroidered on it. 3 medals sat on my right breast. A purple heart, a acorn with oak leaves, and a cross. A slight bulge protruded from my right hip, where I always kept my concealed M92 Beretta. I more looked like I was going to a military funeral than a wedding. But I promised Spyro that I, and the Chaw of Chaws, would wear dress. It was slightly itchy. A knock at the door as Soren stuck his head in. "It's time." I followed the owl out the window, using my ymbryne powers to change into my owl form, and glided to the Main Hall. Touching down softly, I turned back into a human. Pushing open the massive doors to reveal a massive crowd, a mix of humans, dragons, and owls. The roof revealed open sky, something similar to Hogwarts. Me and Soren took our place beside Spyro and Flame. Pelli and Alesha on the other side. I smiled at my own wife and she smiled back. I even saw Kludd and Nyra in the crowd, the soon to be couple spotted me and smiled. I nodded. Then music (think of an instrumental of the Halo 3 main menu song) started to play as the huge double doors were pushed open to reveal Cynder in a beautiful dress. I heard Spyro gasp in amazement as people stood ad faced her. She then proceeded to stand next to Spyro and started the sermon. " They seem so happy." Soren said in our telepathic connection. "Now isn't the time to be in each other's head Soren." Kludd replied in my head."Aye" Soren kept quiet. "You may now kiss the bride." And they kissed as people clapped and owls hooted. A pair of F-185 Barn Owls roared overhead as the crowd of people cheered. The ships in the harbor, including the GHS Boron and the USS Albech, blasted their horns as sailors cheered from their decks. The big guns on the Boron roared as they fired blanks into the sky. "Now for the feast." And the crowd sat at their respectable tables. Luckily for me, I was seated with most of the Chaw of Chaws, including Kludd and Nyra. Kludd was wearing his own dress uniform. Nyra wore a simple black and red dress. I sat with Alesha and Soren and Pelli. Soren wore his uniform, while Pelli wore a blue sparkling dress with a diamond necklace. Alesha wore almost the same dress as Nyra, except the red was lined with sparkles and she had a sapphire necklace on. We started to eat and talk.About an hour later, my head was foggy and the heat of the hall didn't help. "Too much wine. Sober up." I thought. "I need to get some air, I'll be back." I said. "We'll come." Soren and Kludd said. I walked to the balcony with both on my tail. We also noticed Spyro and Cynder out there as well. "You hear that?" Soren asked. I strained my ears and faintly a buzzing noise started to form. " A C-130?" I thought. I listened again but the buzzing didn't have the usual whine on a turbo prop. More of a puttering sound. Pistons. A glint shone off the coast. "It's something metal." Spyro said. "What's metal?" A voice said behind us. I turned to see Taylor and the rest of his group. I pointed in the general direction. "It's a plane." He said after squinting. "Kludd, you're good with aircraft, what is it?" I asked. He looked as the noised started to putter." Bomber, Junkers 88. An old WW2 plane." He said. "And I think it's almost out of fuel." He added. "What do we do?" Cynder asked. " Start warning people." Soren said. "Because when this thing goes down it's going to cause a lot of damage." He flew off the balcony with Spyro, Kludd, and Cynder. Taylor and his group turned around and started to head down. I turned into my owl form and followed the owls. I saw that my car was still there. A 2011 Camaro SS/RS. Turning back into a human, I opened the door and started the engine. The massive twin turbo and supercharged V8 rumbled to life, shaking loose pebbles in the streets. The exhaust crackled and popped. I put her into gear and pounded the gas. The rear tires squealed as the 1,000 horsepower monstrosity pushed them to their limits. Then they gripped and the car rocketed forward. I curved in between streets and alleyways of the massive city. Then I stopped the car. I got out and with flares, lit up two sides of the street. The bomber slightly turned and straightened out with the street. "Shit!" I thought. I dove out of the way as the lumbering bomber turned the corner, sheared it's right wing off, and with a large BANG, slammed into a iron tree. I ran to the smoking hull of the bomber and saw Soren and Kludd pull up in Soren's Aventador. Along with Spyro and Cynder, with Taylor and his group. I pulled out my M92 and tried opening the hatch. It didn't budge. "Cynder, can you?" I asked. She spat her corrosive venom at the hinges. The metal hissed as the venom ate through it. I stepped inside to see crates of all sizes, with German MG-42s and Kar-92s and MP-40s and MP-44s. WW2 era weapons. I heard a moan. "We got people." I said. Soren came in and helped 4 people out of the smoking wreck. " A Brit, a American, a Aussie, and a German." Taylor said, looking at the individual patches on each shoulder. " And WW2 era German weaponry." Soren said, picking up a MP-44. "This place just gets fucking weirder by the day." Kludd said, eyeing the 4 people. "Aye." I agreed. "Could we help?" Spyro said. "No, you two enjoy the rest of your day. You've earned it." I replied as they flew off. "Glaux, what a fucking mess." Soren said. "Yea." I replied.


	2. Calm Before the Storm

Dragon Relms

April 15, 2021

Warfang

Chapter 2

Calm Before the Storm

My POV

After dousing the fire, we headed back to our rooms. "What a day." I said to Alesha, taking off my uniform. "Yea." She replied. After a few minutes, I had started a report back to command. 15 minutes later, my weary eyes started to droop. But a second later I heard a clank that had my senses on edge. Alesha had also heard the same. "You heard that?" Soren asked in my head. "Yea." I replied. "It came from Spyro's room." Kludd said. "You think they're fine?" Eragon asked. "I'm checking it out." I replied. I got up, grabbing my M92 and karambit. "Take no chances." I thought, and took my M4A6 carbine as well. I walked to Spyro's room and slowly cracked the door open. Inside was Spyro and Cynder jerking violently on the floor, and in the middle was a flash of white scales I knew too well. "HEY YO-" I started to yell as the door slammed shut. I tried to open it but it didn't move. Soren came running with Taylor and Barlow, along with Kludd and Eragon. Barlow took his rifle and shot the door handle, and we breached. Immediately, I raised my carbine and shot a three round burst into the white scales. Siverna roared with pain and rage as she was distracted from Spyro and Cynder. They both gasped for air. Soren tackled Siverna as she tried to take off. She flung him off and threw him into the wall, slightly cracking it. "SOREN!" I yelled. I tried running to him but Siverna blocked my path. I raised my carbine, switched to full auto, and lined the red dot up with her head. Before I could fire, she picked up Soren's body and put a claw on his feathered neck. "You move, he dies." Siverna threatened. "Don't fucking do it Siverna." Kludd replied with rage in his voice. "Ha, you still are salty Kludd." She replied. "Kludd, don't do it." I replied telepathically. He blocked me off as his rage overcame him. Siverna's eyes slowly turned from victory to fear as Kludd's eyes started to flash red. "What are," She never finished the sentence. Kludd launched at her with a old kukri knife and a M1911, and stuck the knife in her back. Siverna screamed in pain as the knife severed her spine, then gurgled as Kludd grabbed my karambit and slit her throat with the claw like blade. Blood spurted everywhere as Siverna tried to scream through her blood. She never got the chance, as a loud crack that would haunt me for the rest of my life echoed through the room as Kludd twisted her neck sharply. Then put 2 bullets into her head. He stood over Siverna's lifeless body, panting heavily. He was a living nightmare. Siverna's blood dripped off him, his once pristine feathers were now stained in crimson. His eyes burned red with rage, causing a slight red glow on Siverna's white scales. His kukri and my karambit were covered in blood. He looked up at me, and I took a step back, as in his rage moments, he was unpredictable. "Kludd, snap out of it." I tried to calm him down, using our telepathic connection. After a few tries, I got into his mind. His eyes returned to their normal color and he looked down in fear. His eyes widened with the realization that he did this. I then noticed most of the group, excluding me and Soren, who was now coming to his senses, was in the far corner with guns drawn. Kludd dropped his gun and knife as I grabbed my blood stained karambit. "I- I did this?" He asked, as he noticed a nasty gash in his wing when he attacked Siverna. I nodded my head, and I noticed that Shard was at the door, the barn owl's face was in horror and disgust. "Oh fucking Glaux." He muttered, looking at both the dead dragon and the blood soaked Kludd. Terrador was also there. "What in ancestors happened?" He asked. I explained to Terrador the encounter, and motioned a few medic moles to bring Spyro and Cynder to the infirmary. He also noticed Kludd's wing and sent in a rookie medic. The second the medic saw the bloody mess, he promptly vomited next to the door. He then cautiously approached Kludd and started to clean the wound. I noticed myself that I was slightly covered in blood. Nyra also was wide eyed as soon as she saw Kludd. She embraced her fiance and he did the same. "Christ, I didn't know Kludd could do this." Taylor said. "Aye, me either." I replied. I checked on Soren, who was still recovering. "You alright?" I asked the owl. "Might have fucking broke a rib or two, but otherwise, I'm fine." He swore. "Aye." I replied.


	3. A Reason to Celebrate

Owl Kingdoms

May 15, 2021

Great Ga'Hoole Tree

Chapter 3

A Reason to Celebrate

Kludd's 3rd POV

One month after the death of Siverna.

Navy Seal Lesson #3

" _Measure a person by the size of their heart. Not by the size of their flippers."_

Kludd woke with a start. He nervously looked around his hollow for his love. The realized, "Today's the day." He thought. He was finally marrying Nyra, 3 months after his special proposal on top of Mt. Everest. It was a special moment for the two, and the 18 other climbers, as this was the first time an American, an Warfang, an TF-666, and a Ga'Hoolian flag flew together on the summit. He's been waiting 3 long months for this wedding. Fellia, Strix Struma, Otulissa, Alesha, Gylfie, and Pelli as the bridesmaids. And Soren as his best man, with Sam, Shard, Taz, and Coryn. He looked at his uniform, now cleaned and the stains removed. "You alright, Kludd?" He spun around to see Soren, his golden eyes dreary with pain and exhaustion. "You tired?" Kludd asked. Soren chuckled slightly. "Sams' PT sessions are a fucking nightmare." He swore. Kludd seemed elated. The gash that Kludd had gotten a month ago was burning. Kludd winced. "You alright Kludd?" Soren asked."Yea, it's the fucking wound." He replied. "Aye." Soren replied, his cybotic wings' feathers twitching a little. "Come on, let's get ready." Soren said. Kludd smiled. He put on his uniform, smoothing out the creases. Then Noctus, both Sorens' and Kludds' father, came in, and gasped at both his sons. Kludd was exceptionally handsome, despite his scarred face. His feathers were combed and smoothed and they gleamed against the black and red of his uniform. "Son, I need you to put this on as well." Noctus asked, handing Kludd a beautiful silk cloak, its' green stood out against his uniform. A emblem in the shape of the Task Force knife and feathers showed below the emblem of a tyto. "Da, it's-it's beautiful." Kludd said in amazement. Noctus chuckled. "You can thank Sam." "Sam made this?!" Kludd asked. His father nodded. He put on the cloak over his uniform, showing some of his few medals he had. They shone in the dusk light. "Da, I'm nervous. You know, with what happened a month ago." Kludd said in a less than confident voice. "Don't be. Just because you saved your friends with pure anger doesn't mean they hate you." Noctus said. "Well, that, and the two parts of becoming mates. First, wedding, then," Kludd trailed off. "Then I have to….mate her." He was clearly embarrassed, his cheeks shone with blush. "Well I was scared too. But I made it through." His father replied. Kludd smiled. "Thanks da." He replied. Sam stepped into the hollow with the rest of the grooms' party, plus a very familiar blue falcon. "Kel! What are you doing here?" Kludd asked. "Well, I got the invite and I took it. Ya know to congratulate and all." Kel replied in a thick Australian accent. "Alright, let's start heading down." Sam said. And with this, they exited the hollow.

Nyras' POV

On the other side of the tree, Nyra waited patiently for a designer by the name of "Kat" to finish with her dress. The designer had a odd haircut, and sometimes talked to herself. "Well, there you go Nyra." Kat said, stepping back a bit. Nyra looked at herself and gasped in amazement. Her diamond necklace shined in the dusk light. A orcid sat on the side of her head. She wore a very pretty white dress, lazy swirls of black laced throughout the entire dress. She wore a cloak as the same as Kludds', but red, bringing out her blue-green eyes. She twirled back and forth. "Wow, Kat, this is," She said. "It was nothing. You know I was in the District 12 prep team?" Kat replied. "Really? So I guess you do clothing design a lot." Nyra said. "Although I feel different." "It's called being girly, Nyra." She turned her head to find the bridesmaids. "You look, incredible lass." Strix said. "Well, thank you." Nyra replied. Although the bridesmaids look as beautiful as her. Marrella, the mother to the two sons, stepped forward and explained that she shouldn't be worried. "Thanks, Mrs. Alba." Nyra said. "No, she's right. You shouldn't worry, in a few hours you get to be with the love of your life." Alesha said. Then Ezylryb, his once ruffled feathers now smoothed and cleaned, popped his head in. "Wow, Nyra, you're amazing." He said. She chuckled a bit. "Lyze, you're too modest." She replied. "Come on, let's get going." He replied. And with this, she locked wings with the old whiskered and started to head to the wedding.

My POV

I lead the party with Kludd at my side. I saw on the runway a flight of 5 F-185 Barn Owls, all painted in red and black, waiting with engines idle. Then, they shot into the air and went out. Kludd didn't take much heed to the hypersonic fighters and continued forward. We made it to a large balcony, with two walls with stained windows but the back wall was gone, showing a ever growing sunset. What I found surprising was the amount of people there. "Wow." Soren said, in a soft voice. "Aye, I'm surprised. There are so many people here." Kludd said nervously. The roof was open, so you could see the sky. "And to think this was all made by the same owl who hates us." Kludd said, referencing to LaRoche. Soren gave a slight churr. All eyes were on us as the rest of the party approached the altar with Boron as the priest. I even spied my parents, both sides of my family. I smiled and waved to them. They waved back. I stood in between Soren and Kel, both birds looked incredibly sharp and handsome. But not as much as Kludd, who was beaming with excitement. "Now, for the bride." Boron said. And by the power of sheer coincidence, the double doors opened to reveal Nyra.


	4. Reasons to Blame

Owl Kingdoms

May 15, 2021

Great Ga'Hoole Tree

Chapter 4

Reasons to blame

My POV

People stood up as music started to play (think of a slower version of the Skyrim "Dovahkiin" theme). I heard Kludd gasp as he saw Nyra. "Wow," He said. "You took the words right out of me." I replied. Nyra held her head high, and started to walk forward, with Ezylrybs' wing interlocked with hers', a smug yet modest smirk on his face. The bridesmaids followed the two to the altar. Ezylryb then let go and went to his seat. Nyra and the bridesmaids stood on the other side of the altar. "Wow you, look, incredible Nyra." Kludd said. She slightly blushed. "Well, you look very, charming." She replied. "Can we go on you two?" Boron asked politely. They both blushed at this, with a slight chuckle. "Now to begin." He continued. And began the sermon. "I'm so happy for you Soren. Your brother seems so happy." I said in our connection. His smile became bigger as both Nyra and Kludd began their vows. Kludds' eyes began to shine with tears. "Nyra Camille, do you take Kludd as your husband?" Boron asked. "Yes," She replied, her voice slightly cracking. "And Kludd Alba, do you take Nyra as your wife?" He asked. "Yes," Kludd replied. "Those F-185s better be ready." I said to Soren. "Then it is my honor to name you both husband and wife. You may kiss the bride." And with that, they kissed. People stood and cheered and owls hooted and hollered. Then, the 5 F-185s roared overhead, dispersing red and green smoke. This made the crowd cheer even more. The new couple both smiled. I clapped Soren on his shoulder. He turned his head and smiled. "C'mon, Soren, I need to introduce you to my parents." I said. He followed me to my parents, who were talking to each other and surprisingly with Mumble. "Mom, dad, Aaron, Laura. This is Soren, one of my closest friends." I said as Soren shook each of their hands. "It's a pleasure. Sam has told us so much about you." My dad said. "Aye, your son's a life saver. Literally." He replied, slightly taking off his cybotic wing. And showing the scar from a murder that tried to kill him and Pelli about a year ago. "Wow," My dad said, eyeing the purple heart as well. "Well, I'll see you all at the dining hall." I said. A stream of oks and alrights came from them. I spotted Nyra in a group of owls and people talking and laughing. I decided to head over to her. "Well, Nyra, you look, beautiful." I said in a formal voice. "Well, if it isn't the handsome man himself. Girls this is Sam, a good friend of mine, and the founder of TF-666." She replied. She was a sight, with her necklace and cape with her black eyeliner. Typical Kat design, thinking out of the box. "Let me guess, Kat designed the dress." I asked. "How'd you know?" Nyra replied. "She did Alesha's dress, remember, and I've been to enough tribute preps to know her style." I replied. "And I was the one that made the capes." I also added. "You made the capes?" She said with obvious disbelief. "Yep," I said. "Well, thank you, it's beautiful." She replied. I smiled. "Well, I'll leave you be." I said. Then I spotted Kludd, surprisingly talking to my dad. I used my ymbryne powers to use a barn owls' hearing to close in on the conversation. "Kludd, you do good with Nyra. Ok, I don't want you to screw up the same way that I did." My dad said. "And even Sam's ignorance almost led me to divorce with Laura." He added. I cutted off my powers, and my anger started to build. "But it wasn't me back then, I was away." I wanted to say. This was true. During the incident I was in Afghanistan. It was a Pure One spy trying to tear my family apart. When I learned of this, I returned and promptly killed the spy with a pipe during the fight. I had tried to explain to my dad and Laura that it wasn't me, but thought of some bullshit excuse to still punish me. "Fucking enough." I thought and stormed over to my dad. "Oh, hey, Sam your friend.." He started to say. "Kludd, give us a moment." I said to the owl, who was confused. "NOW!" I barked. He walked away. "Dad, enough with the fucking bullshit about how I presumably fucked up. That wasn't me, I was in 'Stan at the time. It was an imposter. I'm fucking tired of you blaming me for shit that I didn't do." If this wasn't one of my best friend's' wedding, then I would've straight up yelled at him. He stood there with surprise."Well, how can I know," He tried to reply. I never gave him the chance as my rage boiled over. "ENOUGH WITH THE BULLSHIT DAD!" I yelled at him. He backed off in fear, something he has never done. "YOU THINK IT WAS ME THAT NIGHT? IT WASN'T! IT WAS A FUCKING SPY! HE WAS TRYING TO RIP US APART! I HELPED YOU GOD DAMNIT! AND YET YOU SAT THERE WAITING FOR YOUR FAMILY TO BE RIPPED APART LIKE YOU DIDN'T GIVE A ABSOLUTE FUCK! YOU SHOULD BE THE ONE BEING BLOODY BLAMED DAMNIT! NOT ME! YOU FUCKING SPRINKING ASSHOLE!" I yelled at him. "YOU BETTER WATCH YOUR FUCKING MOUTH SAM!" He yelled back. "OH REALLY YOU FUCKING HYPOCRITE. I COULD HEAR YOU TALKING FROM ACROSS THE BLOODY ROOM!" I yelled back. He opened his mouth to talk back, but he couldn't summon up the words. I was steaming with rage, and most of the crowd, including Kludd and Nyra, was watching. And worst of all, my parents were staring at me in shock and disbelief. Laura walked over and in a soft voice said. "Is this true? You were gone when that 'other' you was with us. And Daren did nothing." "Yes of course I tried to help." He replied. "Don't lie dad! It will only make it worse." I said, rage still dripping with each word. "I...you," He tried to say. "How could you Darren! Even I was fooled that this 'spy' was Sam. All this time punishing him for what? Because he saved us? You're just punishing him for the sheer hell of it! You bastard!" She flung this curse right at him. He backed off, his face red with anger, and his eyes were filling with tears. I crossed my arms, my face stoic. "Get out." I said. And with this, he stormed out of the hall. I turned to Laura. "I'm so sorry Sam. I just didn't know. I'm sorry for ruining the wedding as well." She added. I replied with a nod as she left. I saw that most of the crowd was leaving and so I walked to there. I thought nothing could get worse.


	5. First Step Into Eternity

Owl Kingdoms

May 15, 2021

Great Ga'Hoole Tree

Chapter 5

First Step Into Eternity

Cpt. James Taylor's POV

Taylor had a hitch that he had to be out on patrol for the wedding. And, as he predicted, the tower picked up 4 unidentified aircraft approaching the tree. He slipped on his skintight g-suit and helmet and walked onto the runway. He approached his new F-185D Barn Owl. The D model is much sleeker, faster, and more maneuverable than the B and C models. He pushed a button on the side of the nose and a ladder extended from the cockpit. He climbed it and a voice inside his helmet greeted him. EVE (the A.I that ran the extensive network of the Task Force bases.) "Afternoon EVE." Taylor said. "Afternoon indeed." The A.I responded. "Start the engine, and pressurize the cabin." Taylor said. "Affirmative." EVE replied. And with this, the canopy closed and locked with a hiss. The engine rumbled to life with a low whine. "EVE run through pre-flight." Taylor said into the mic in his helmet. The touch panel in front of him lit up with unintelligible numbers and letters, then showed a number of flight systems powering up. Then on the right panel, a outline of the Barn Owl shone with different parts lighting up in green. "Pre-flight completed. Autopilot on until 3 miles till contact." EVE said. "Dagger 2-3 you are second in line on the cat." The tower said. "Roger tower." Taylor said. EVE took control of the aircraft and rolled it onto the catapult. The front wheel locked into the sled. Taylor gave the thumbs up to the cat controller. He felt the aircraft shudder as EVE put the massive engine into afterburner. And he jerked back as the plane was rocketed along the cat. He let EVE guide the plane into formation with 2 other F-185s. After about 10 minutes. "Contact 3 miles out, autopilot off." EVE said. Taylor grabbed the throttle and stick. "Dagger 2-4, Dagger 2-5, contacts 3 miles out. Switch to missiles." Taylor said over comms. And he touched a button on the panel in front of him. And his helmet's' visor came to life with the HUD display. He saw the unidentified aircraft out in the distance. And his heart sank. 2 MiG-25's and 2 MiG-29's, all colored in bright red. "Pure Guard ace's!" He yelled. And with this, he and the other two Barn Owl's fired a SWARM missile. The smaller rockets streaked toward the 4 MiGs. One of the MiG's fell from the sky in a burning wreck. The other 3 zigzagged, dumping flares and chaff, trying to see where the swarm of missiles have come from. But the Barn Owls were equipped with stealth technology, and were vastly superior to the MiGs. Another MiG exploded midair from a burst of 30mm from a Barn Owl's cannon. The last two MiGs, obviously scared, tried to retreat. But came under fire from the Barn Owls and plummeted to the sea below. The 3 Barn Owls then returned formation and turned around to return to the tree. Unbeknownst to the Great Tree, this was only a small portion yet to come.


	6. A Storm is Coming

Owl Kingdoms

May 15, 2021

Great Ga'Hoole Tree

Chapter 6

A Storm is Coming

My POV

I sat down next to Soren, who was talking to Kludd, in the dining hall, which was now decorated and cleaned. He turned his head and smiled. I slightly smiled back. A platter of food was sat down at the table and we ate and talked. Music sang through the hall. A few hours later, I was stuffed and exhausted. As well as the others at the table. The party had died down and most of the crowd has left. I left the hall after saying goodnight to Soren and the new couple. Soren followed me. "You coming as well?" I asked. "Aye, Glaux I think I fucking ate too much." He replied. He groaned with this as well. I chuckled a bit. We returned to the hollow and started to settle down in our own beds. Soren snuggled against Pelli and started to fall asleep. I felt my eyes close and soon I was asleep.

I woke to the sound of my computer going off. I looked at the clock. It read 0336. "This better be fucking important." I thought. I walked over to the desk and typed in my password and found I had a email. "Odd." I thought. I opened the email and I felt my heart drop. It read, "A STORM IS COMING!" And it showed Chicago O'Hare Airport. The flagpole flew a Pure Guard flag. I was obviously photoshopped, but I got the message and made a message with the same email with an additional sentence. 0405: Brief. IM. SIBO. Meaning: Immediate meeting in Briefing room of all S.I.B.O operatives at 4:05 AM. I promptly walked over to Soren and shook him. Nothing. "You asked for it." I whispered. And I took my M92 and shot it into the ceiling. Soren jumped to his feet and grabbed his own gun, a Deagle .50, and pointed it at me all in the matter of seconds. He realized it was me and snapped to attention. "At ease, Soren." I said. And he eased his finger off the trigger and lowered the large pistol. "What is it?" He asked in a groggy voice. "I'll explain when we get to the briefing room. But right now, get Pelli up and follow me." I replied. Pelli was already up from the gunshot. We headed to the briefing room, which was down deep in the roots of the tree. We each sat down at the large oak table. And we waited for the operatives to come. The first ones to arrive were none other than Blu and Jewel. The two macaws looked wide awake and were wearing the usual brown and green camo. I smiled at Blu, since he used to be the S.I.B.O team leader until I took command. The third bird to come was Kel, the blue falcon was in a old PacMan t-shirt and camo shorts. I rolled my eyes at him but he raised his shoulders in forgiveness. The operatives came in, including Mumble. The last birds to come in were surprisingly Kludd and Nyra. Kludd wore a Halo t-shirt and camo pants while Nyra wore a Big Bang Theory shirt and camo pants. Their feathers were very ruffled and they seemed exhausted. I honestly didn't want to know what happened in their hollow. "What are they doing here?" Blu asked in a suspicious voice. "We're training for S.I.B.O remember?" Kludd replied. "Oh." The blue macaw replied. And the two barn owls sat down next to each other. "Well, if that's everyone, then let's begin." I said. I pulled out a small portable projector and turned it on. I powered on a large, rugged tablet and tapped on the screen to pull up the image from the email. "At 0336, I got this message from an unknown email account." I said as I pulled up the image. A few birds gritted their beaks. "With this image, I also got this sentence." And with this, I tapped on the screen to show the few letters on the email. "Our job is to prevent a terrorist attack on O'Hare." I said. Kel raised his wing. "Rules of engagement sir?" He asked. "If shit hits the fan," I said. "Shoot to kill." With this, Kel slightly smiled. I always considered the blue peregrine to be a little insane. "Yes, sir." He said. "Be warned that the Pure Guard is being helped by the Imperial Army. If you see any one of their men, kill on sight. Keep civilian casualties at a minimum." I added. "Now, get ready, get geared up. I want wheels up at 0505." And with this, the crowd disperse.


	7. Lux E Tenebris

USA

May 16, 2021

O'Hare Intl

Chicago, IL

Chapter 7

Lux E Tenebris

My POV

The short flight to O'Hare was uneventful, with some radio chatter but nothing else as we sat in the red lit cargo bay of the Osprey. We all wore a gelatin like vest that could stop a 7.62 NATO round dead in it's tracks. Reactive armor. And in a shoulder holster we each carried a collapsed M4A6 carbine, all with shorter barrels and suppressors. Tear gas and flashbangs covered the rest as non-lethals only would be permitted, although I also carried both a few white phosphorus grenades and M203 rounds. Better safe than sorry, although I do consider white phosphorus to be unorthodox and unsafe in combat. Over all of our gear we wore civilian clothing. We landed on a helipad near the entrance and we jumped out. I brought out my badge to the security guard as the Osprey took off. The guard nodded and we entered the enormous building. The other birds spread out, looking for suspected Pure Guard soldiers. It wouldn't be that hard, as most of the airport was not filled with activity. I was following Nyra as we checked the terminals. "It's fairly empty." I said over comms. "Wait," Kel said. "Got a Pure Guard soldier near you guys. Meet you at terminal C5." We walked our way to the terminal. Along the way, a few curious looks from people were given to Nyra, who didn't seem to mind. At C5 we met up with Kel and Kludd. "Where's the bastard." I asked the blue falcon. He pointed to a lone barn owl wearing a black hoodie and black pant, standing near a large crowd of people. Nyra approached the owl and that's when it happened. The owl grabbed a knife from his pocket, grabbed Nyra and put the large knife to her throat, all in a matter of seconds. The crowd shrieked as me, Kel, and Kludd drew our carbines and pointed them at the barn owl. He pressed the knife closer to Nyras' neck, causing some feathers to slowly turn red as the knife slightly cut into her skin. "Drop your guns, or the owl dies!" The barn owl demanded. "Taz, you got a shot?!" I said over comms. "Negative it's not clean." He replied in his emotionless voice. "Damnit." I said. And I motioned the other birds to put down the guns. The barn owl smiled and did the unthinkable. He slid the knife against Nyras' neck, causing blood to spurt from her veins. "NOOO!" Kludd yelled. The barn owl dropped Nyra and pulled out a revolver and a small black detonator. One word screamed in my head. BOMB! And I drew my M92, aimed, and fired at the barn owls' head. The owl stumbled forward two steps before slumping to the ground. I picked up the detonator and found a long train of wires leading to the barn owls' chest. I uncovered the owl, and found 12 blocks of C4 strapped to his chest. "Jesus Christ." I muttered. It was enough to blow three terminals sky high. "NYRA!" Kludd yelled. And I looked over to see Kludd next to the fallen owl. "Shit!" I thought. "MEDIC!" I yelled and two medics ran over with first aid kits. Nyra was in bad shape. She was losing blood fast and the cut was really bad. "Guardian 1-1, we have a WIA, need immediate medevac!" I said over comms. "Roger BA-0, inbound, 2 mikes out, over." The Osprey replied. "Copy that Guardian 1-1, out." I replied. I helped Nyra onto a stretcher and we hauled her out to the helipad. The Osprey landed on it with it's cargo bay open. We got her onto the large VTOL and the cargo hatch closed. The twin engines roared as the Osprey took flight. Coryn had started to wrap a bandage around Nyras' neck. She was barely breathing and she was in a feverish state. "Nyra stay with me!" Kludd said as he held Nyras' wing.

A few hours later, most of us were sitting outside the infirmary door at the main base. Kludd was nervously tapping his foot as the seconds went by. Finally a doctor came out and Kludd literally ran him over with questions on if Nyra was ok. "She's fine. We stitched up the cut and she should be fine." The doc said. We sighed with relief. "And more exciting for you." The doc added, facing Kludd. "We made a wonderful discovery. You're going to be a father soon." Kludd's' beak fell to the floor as he processed the situation. "I'm going to be a father?" He said. "Yep, 3 to be exact, 2 girls and 1 boy." The doc replied. Kludd laughed in joy. A few congrats went Kludd's way as Soren hugged his brother. I clapped as well. "Well, this is unexpected." Kel said in a not-so-cheerful voice. I elbowed the falcon hard and he winced. "Whatcha do that for?" He replied. "Watch your mouth Kel. This is a happy moment for Kludd." I replied. He just rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying that if they didn't come, this wouldn't happen." He said, crossing his wings. "Oh fuck off Kel, be happy for once." I replied. "Whatever." And he dipped his Aussie hat over his eyes and slouched in the chair. "Just remember. Lux E Tenebris." I said to the falcon. He didn't reply. I smiled.


	8. A Wolf in Sheeps' Clothing

Owl Kingdoms

May 27, 2021

Cape Glaux

Chapter 8

A Wolf in Sheep's Clothing

Taz's POV

Taz was in a tall tree on Cape Glaux with Shard Grayeth, the captain of the Cape's forces. The two were talking about a few things. "So, how's Bryony?" Taz asked. "Oh, she has her wings full at the moment, the hatchlings are growing up." The barn owl replied, the wind slightly blowing through his feathers. The two high ranking soldiers continued talking, until Taz had the slight suspicion that he was being watched. He was correct, as a small red dot started moving to Shard's head. "Shard, duck!" He hissed loudly, and ducked down as wood splintered from the high velocity round. "Fuck, follow me." He added, and switched into his owl form, and took off into the trees with Shard close behind. He lowered his helmet's' visor, and switched over to thermal. The veteran sniper spotted a heat signature in the trees, overlooking the Cape Glaux base. He turned slightly, and dived down on the unsuspecting shooter, and knocked the barn owl flat. "You fuck, do you realize the war's over?" He hissed, and flicked out his wrist blade, and plunged it into the owl's neck, his helmet covered in blood. The enemy owl gurgled in his own blood, as he pushed even harder, and the owl slumped dead on his blade. He pulled it out, and the deceased owl slumped onto its back. Taz gave the dead owl one last look, and flew after Shard as they went back to report on what happened.


	9. First Strike

B-R5RB

May 28, 2021

N3 Territory

Chapter 8

First Strike

Hiccup's POV

(Cue Black Hole, by Kevin MacLeod)

Hiccup leaned back in his chair on the bridge of the USS Stoic. His flagship is one of the more massive ships in the supercluster, dwarfing all but the biggest of Titans. The Stoic (in tribute of his father) is a Recurring class supercarrier with a massive fleet of fighters and bombers, making it one of the most feared and desired ships in the galaxy. She's heavily armored and armed. The massive rotary railgun turrets sat on the bow and stern of the ship. She also carried guided missiles in the stern. Currently she was floating outside of one of the larger stations in the N3 coalition. "USS Stoic, this is the N3S Arbiter, coming up on your port side." A massive Titan came out of warp beside the equally large supercarrier. "Captain, transmission coming through." John (the ships AI) said to Hiccup. "Patch it through." He replied and stood up. A holographic figure shone right in front of him. He saluted. "Captain Lansky, I thought you were with the Oracles." Hiccup asked, and lowered his hand. "Aye, it was cut short, due to hostilities from the Ruskies." He replied. "So why are you here?" The fellow captain asked. "Sam ordered me to babysit the station for any hostilities." The viking replied with a smirk. "Basically, I've been ordered to watch over a rock." He added. "Aye," Lansky said, stroking his beard. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves. Time will tell-" He was interrupted as the radar officer, a barred owl, picked up large signatures on the scope. "Are you sure?" He asked (he still doesn't fully trust the owls on his ship, due to a treason on his ship a few years ago by a certain barn owl). The owl nodded. "Man your battlestations, this is not a drill!" Hiccup ordered, and the alarm started blaring. "Lansky, get the Arbiter behind us, and train all broadside guns starboard, we'll rip them apart." Hiccup ordered, and the large Ragnarok class Titan flew behind the supercarrier. He felt the massive turrets swivel to the starboard. Then three large battleships, all with the markings of a Russian Coalition, appeared. The railguns fired, the HE rounds slamming into their hulls as two of the three ships exploded in a spectacular fashion. The third, now on fire, tried to jump, but failed as its reactor went supernova, developing the ship in a large blast of gas. "DR!" Hiccup ordered. "None, not even a scratch." John replied. The captain sighed in relief, and patted the chair. "Good girl," He whispered, and thought that nothing else would happen soon. He couldn't be more wrong.


End file.
